Karamjit Singh wins Malaysian Rally C’ship Rd2, Johor

karamjit johor rally

Karamjit Singh won Round 2 of the Malaysian Rally Championship in Johor last weekend. The victory was all the more special as his 2WD 1.6 litre Proton Satria Neo R3 Rally overcame 4WD turbocharged cars from Mitsubishi and Subaru. It was the first time a 2WD 1600 car has won the overall Malaysian Rally in the 10-year history of the MRC in Johor.

The Flying Sikh dominated proceedings by winning nine of the 14 special stages of the rally, which ran over three days in Johor Bahru and Kota Tinggi. Known as one of the world’s toughest rally events, conditions were made worse by torrential rain turning the gravel trails into a slippery mudfest, causing many accidents.

Karamjit won six out of eight stages in Leg 1, building a 1:45 lead over Chinese driver Fan Fan in an Evo X. 23-year old Proton R3 Team junior driver Kenneth Koh in the other Neo put in an inspired drive to climb up to fifth from last place after incurring a five minute penalty in the first stage. He later retired from fourth due to a broken driveshaft.

Karamjit started where he left off by winning one of three stages in Leg 2. As the stages were drying out, Fan Fan clawed back three stage victories only to lose more time after a big spin. The leader went on to win two more stages to seal victory with a huge 2 minutes and 47 seconds lead.

“I never drove so intense in a rally in a long time. It was very hard work. The Proton R3 team did a fantastic job and provided me with a car that was trouble-free and performed well even under challenging conditions,” he said. With a win each between Karamjit and Fan Fan, the championship is very open. The third round of the MRC will be held in Negeri Sembilan in October.

The Malaysian Rally in Johor was also the fourth round of the 2014 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Indian driver Gaurav Gill won the APRC event in his Team MRF Skoda Fabia S2000. He beat Australian Mark Pedder (Evo) and China’s Jun Xu (Fabia S2000). With the win, Gill is back in the title race, and he now trails leader Jan Kopecky by just eight points.

Watch Karamjit Singh in action in Driven Web Series, where he takes on our own (fake) Flying Sikh. Like in the rally, he took on, and beat, more powerful turbocharged machines handled by less skilled drivers :)

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • whatnow on Aug 20, 2014 at 5:04 pm

    Haters gonna hate

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 44 Thumb down 2
    • woo 2wd wins over 4wd..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 23 Thumb down 1
    • kuimpikanbintang on Aug 20, 2014 at 8:10 pm

      IKR. Why can’t we just be proud Malaysians?

      Tahniah Sir Karamjit and Proton R3 team!

      Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 57 Thumb down 0
  • eichang on Aug 20, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    use campro engine??damn powderful….go go go super flying sikh and proton r3 team

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 1
    • kzm (Member) on Aug 20, 2014 at 5:30 pm

      those neo is light n buttless both mitsu n subaru heavy..obviously flying singh can win.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 74
      • driver on Aug 20, 2014 at 11:46 pm

        “obviously” is not a good word. rally ain’t that obvious bro..

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 0
    • nooo,it is impossible.
      they must be using bmw 7 series engine inside and put campro engine cover….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 41
    • eimsperfume on Aug 21, 2014 at 8:43 am

      i wonder if they used the 170+ hp version of r3 tuned non turbo campro engine…… is it???

      those 4wd turbocharged have advantages in so many ways.. but still cant cut the time .. karamjit is near 2 minutes ahead… hohoh

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 0
  • That is the reason why I bought a Proton Satria Neo wuhuu

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 44 Thumb down 1
  • pirlo on Aug 20, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    motorhead will write:

    who cares about rally? it is dangerous. the most important things are FC and practicality. even subaru and mitsubishi are far below than Perodua.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 23 Thumb down 10
    • Obviously you are one of those “katak bawah tempurung” n not very smart kind of guy, condeming subaru n mitsu is worse than perodua really?!!!…clearly u never drive either subaru nor mitsu except for your perodua

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 22
      • pirlo on Aug 21, 2014 at 10:46 am

        obviously, u do not follow Paultan that much. please, get to know who Motorhead is.
        and obviously, u fail to detect my sarcasm

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 0
        • Motorhead (Member) on Aug 21, 2014 at 3:33 pm

          Obviously to you too.. you didn’t fllw paultan much.. & fail to fllw my comments on Subaru other a few brands… I also never said Daihatsu is superior than others. . But indeed.. it is the most reliable car in the world. . Check the reliability index again..

          You don’t want reliability. . Thats your problem. . May be you like cars that broke down all times. .
          Who knows. .

          Honestly. . I ve enough Peroduas. . & thx to P2. . I have wonderful life & work.. save me money & time, never fail go to work.. I ll move on other brands. . & of course. . Still japs milo tin..

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 6
    • Motorhead (Member) on Aug 21, 2014 at 3:03 pm

      Haha.. yeah go ahead buy Neo.. for your info if you ve forgotten. . Neo is a rebadge. . Hatchback derived from Wira platform. . In Japs last time known as Mira.. I still remember many people use it’s parts from half cut shop.. it is the only survive Wira aka Lancer platform till today.. engine change to campro.. (due to end partnership with mitsubishi).

      Since you like hi FC.. go ahead buy this car.. I like people go poor.. or no money for petrol.. then ride bikes. . Watch out.. A Myvi or Axia may accidentally hit you.. hahaha. .

      I also like when you fall into financial traps.. low RV.. hi maintenance. . So I can take over your girlfriends.. widows, girls etc…

      I almost. . Honest.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 25
      • pirlo on Aug 22, 2014 at 8:40 am

        okay. good luck =)

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
      • tonton on Aug 23, 2014 at 1:45 pm

        duh, get your facts right. do tell me, in what textbook did u learn that satria neo is a rebadge product?

        satria of course, from mirage, but satria neo totally developed in house, not some perodua receive n delivery job.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
      • Same Lorrr Sohai on Aug 29, 2014 at 10:40 pm

        hahaha. you should read more and experience motorsport. satria neo rebadged? DEFUQ.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Motorhead (Member) on Aug 21, 2014 at 3:21 pm

      Typo.. Satria Mirage.. no Mira.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 8
  • Annoynimouse on Aug 20, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    It just goes to show the difference a driver can make. Legend…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 0
  • Mohammad Suhaimi on Aug 20, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    Karamjit ni, bagi Kancil pun leh menang rally.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 7
    • WatSayU on Aug 20, 2014 at 7:37 pm

      but are u sure Kancil can rally?? sure it wont be turtled?? Hehehe

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 6
  • way to go flying sikh (thumbs up) ;)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 0
  • Izzwan SotSot on Aug 20, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    A Malaysian driving a modified Malaysia car on a Malaysia rally track…. I don’t think he can lose… unless car problem…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 28
  • nabill (Member) on Aug 20, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    Congrats….this might b the last of a satria breed, wd we ever see a new satria model again? I highly doubt it considering how the market is evolving. ..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
  • Baja Lapis Seng on Aug 20, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    Give the Flying Singh anything and he will make’em fly to the finish line *thumbs up*

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 0
  • William Gandelen on Aug 20, 2014 at 10:20 pm

    Tahniah Sir Karamjit Singh . Malaysia R3 Team thumbs up for you. ☺

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 0
  • Now this is the real flying Sikh. Not one of those you see on Driven :D

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Aug 21, 2014 at 12:15 am

    better than lee chong wei

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 5
  • Fredo b16c speciale on Aug 21, 2014 at 8:32 am

    later they will come out with a New using an ‘improved’ Honda’s old b16a engine lah…. 170ps for the Neo is not so bad kan ?
    perhaps this time they will improve the low end torque a bit lah so that the Noe can really fly…wuuuhooooooooooo

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 5
  • gaviny on Aug 21, 2014 at 9:15 am

    mr karamjit is by far the sportsman who is the most underrated underappreciated person in all of Malaysian motorsport. He deserves so much more recognition than he gets.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 23 Thumb down 0
  • I felt sad that Karamjit never seem to have a proper opportunity to compete at the top level due to sponsorship issues. When you consistently win or be competitive with a lesser car, you know the field is definitely below your level.

    He’s more worthy to be bequeathed a Datuk-ship than a lot others “Datuks”.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 0
  • Fastcat on Aug 21, 2014 at 10:36 am

    I felt sorry for our flying singh, with such a talented skill in rally but yet no big sponsor for him. what a waste of talent.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
  • panjang on Aug 21, 2014 at 11:20 am

    if this neo is using the same engine with the one proton always bring to their roadshow then i wont be that surprised.
    it does not sound like a turbo but goes like one.probably down to the gearing.
    only downside of the neo is that its 2wd compared to its competitor.
    then again the driver plays a super major role.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • NormanTheGreat (Member) on Aug 21, 2014 at 12:04 pm

    Using true blue Campro Cps engine with modifications…Advantage of the car is the sure handling.
    Consider great for overcoming the threats from Subaru and Mitsubishi 4WD monsters

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Motorhead (Member) on Aug 21, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    Anyway kudos to Karamjit.. if 4WD you can win World rally..

    Unfortunately. . We all know Proton is under financial woes.. & only give you a 2WD car.. 1600cc also.. (since there’s no other engines left.. 1.8, 2.0, 2.4.. all not available).. no more money for R&D too.

    Fortunately. . After trying so hard (written there) you still win.

    Tahniah.

    Now hopefully gov can give more money to P1 for R&D after this win.

    Almost honest too..
    Motorhead.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
  • Fastcat on Aug 21, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    I think karamjit should joint the oversea rally team to show the would that malaysian rally driver is world class. malaysia boleh !

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Fastcat on Aug 21, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    correction : to show the world.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • ive been hearing him since i was kid. how old is he already?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • summicron on Aug 21, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    Rallying – insane skills. Karamjit Singh – Malaysia rallying legend!

    Seriously wonder what he can achieve if he is sponsored to compete internationally.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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